I have a customer who wants to add billet lower valve covers to a 6 conversion. He had one machine shop botch the first pair. Anybody done this and know how much material needs to be removed to clear the suspension point? I drawing showing the area to machined and the finished thickness would be ideal.

Please pm me if you can help

Had this done not too long ago. The machine shop shaved all the fins down on the lower turbo valve covers to the same height as the stud mount holes.
Cost $100.00 IIRC

scotty b did mine at his local shop. 5/16". I doubt it was more than $50.

Turbo covers are heavy, you likely could take the fins right off. Mine are also shaved down to the top of the stud bosses, about 1/4" of fin left.

heres what scotty did.

No need to shave the whole valve cover. The extended fins are there for cooling. Based on my little knowledge, all one has to do is to reduce #5&6 cylinder side .

This is all that needs to be done

My thoughts too and correct as far as I know,not to mention the cover will be weaker and probably twist and leak like the mag ones anyway.
I think it was John Walker on Pelican who mentioned the turbo covers leak after a period of time anyway, with the fins milled of you just end up with expensive bling surely.
People say the mag one twist and leak,they also loose paint of the rear sealing surface and that doesn't help,one of mine have done that.

I doubt if it would make much of a difference.
My VW bus type one engine has a 3-1/2 quart Gene Berg oil sump, it's a huge chunk of aluminum covered with fins. Berg did all kinds of testing and only got an average 7 degree temp drop. The benefit was the added oil capacity to keep up with the high volume oil pump.
A couple fins on a cover isn't going to amount to a hill of beans.

As far as being weaker the Capt'n used to always laugh at people who spent money on turbo covers, as he felt the aluminum SC cover was more than strong enough...and dirt cheap.

Mark, where would one go to buy these dirt cheap SC valve covers, and how cheap is dirt cheap?

EDIT: To refine my question, what it the best parts yard that has fair pricing and shipping charges?

Yea but my point was that you mill the fins off and that's half of the reason gone to buy them.
Dirt cheap my pricing came back as up to $230 each new or $200-300 used hardly dirt cheap,but they used to be.
Personally I would rather speed the money on a good set of engine compartment seals and keep my engine clean underneath than spend this kind of money,there are a lot of good aftermarket gaskets out there to sort this issue with the stock covers also.
Fairs fair but your comparison between between a T1 and a 911 isn't really valid,the 911 motor in a 914 needs all the cooling it can get and generates a lot of oil temp.

This is what mine look like...They did not machine off the whole cover just the corner.

i could do it, its not exactly hard.

Mmmmmm..... twin plug !
Is it difficult to remove the #2 plug connector ?

I just tried it
It's tight, you have to sneak it out, but I didn't have to force it



Well I admit I haven't needed to buy parts for almost 3 years and I know in that time prices have exploded, but you used to see good used SC covers on the bird for $30-40 a pair. The SC cover looks just like the early mag covers but are heavier and made out of aluminum.
As far as the type one comparison, IMHO is a good comparison it's aircooled and in high performance trim they have all kinds of heat issues. It's all about surface area and air flow, do you really think 4 little fins in a hot area is going to make a huge difference? My 2.0 berg engine running 8 quarts of oil and the added surface area of the sump still over heated, till I put 2" standoffs on the decklid increasing airflow. Oil has a real piss poor heat transfer rate.
The only way fins on the cover will make a noticeable difference is if each cover has ten 3" fins. BTW this as been done by a guy on the bird.
To me good engine seals, etc., is super important on all aircooleds so I totally agree with that statement.
Airflow, engine seals, proper tune and/or a cooler will do way more than a couple of little fins.

If you are not hung up on the O.E. look I highly recommend these Hargett Precision billet covers, they utilize the later 964 type cord seal. This ended years of leaks on my 914.
Click to view attachment

Nice...and only around $75 more than a new set of turbo covers.

For easier removal of the valve cover near the trailing arm bolt, I've also removed a few studs and use some short 8x 1.25mm bolts in their place.
Marty

I took out all the studs and used flange bolts. Something like these: http://www.probolt-australia.com/stainless...ml#.Vf3Dy8_ovDc .They seal very well with the aluminium washer, but I had to use a little Loctite on each one to stop them falling out.

If anyone has been considering this upgrade, URO just released its reproduction of the "turbo-style" 911 Lower Valve Cover 930 105 116 05. Here are the details: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=339746.

Don't use the factory 964 valve covers. They are thin magnesium and warp easily causing a hell of a leak. If you are using twin plug heads, use these

Click to view attachment

They are billet aluminum, and they use the stock seal. I have been told they won't leak like the factory ones. I have not tried it, so you may find you have to enlarge the bolt holes. The 964 uses 6x1.0 studs, the older engines use 8x1.25 studs.

What I have on my 6 #41Click to view attachment

Bob B

very simple, get an electric grinder with a flapper grinding wheel and take it down similar to what gereed75 showed in his post. goes pretty fast check as you go.

Fins are NOT on the turbo covers for cooling.
They are there to add structural stiffness so the covers don't warp as easily as the earlier covers tended to do.

I think a bigger problem with any cover warping is that the owner doesn't change out the gaskets enough when there are leaks and instead tries to tighten the dickens out of the covers....that's what really warps them.

I would just remove enough material to get the turbo covers to clear the suspension ear as in post #7 and leave the rest of the rib material alone.

100%

I milled mine down to just above the bosses using a router w/carbide bit ....
Click to view attachment

Agree with you and only required on the driver side.
This is no big deal!

Auto Atlanta just added them to their web site, see link here: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=339746

$60 each, good price.

Read all the replies and most just chop them down over the full length,fair enough I'am now thinking it wouldn't make that much difference just don't see the need.
Really nothing could be as bad as old twisted magnesium ones ,I resurfaced mine and they still weep with the right gaskets,the alloy ones must be a big improvement fully machined of just clearanced on the one side as the set I have yet to fit.

Been there, done that 5+ years ago when I replaced leaky magnesium covers (with engine in the car). Sales rep told me the turbo covers would fit as-is. Manager later called to apologize. Here are some pictures I took best I could after my 'modifications'. Don't need to take much off, just around a couple bosses.Click to view attachment Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

You should NOT be required to machine the covers to fit the engine in the car but rather remove the covers while the engine is in the car.

Hi,is it necessary to have this done to both left hand and right hand side valve covers or just one side, i.e. driver's side (oil cooler side)?
Cheers, Maurice (UK)

Both sides

My pictures are a couple posts earlier, I don't think I had to do both sides (but that was almost 10 yrs ago). It isn't the oil cooler that is the issue, it is the trailing arm suspension mount.
Just need a little shaved off right around that area.

OK. Thanks for the info, i'll get both sides done.

When I swapped to turbo covers, I only had an issue getting the driver side off due to the frame mount. The passenger removed without issues.

Every car is slightly different
It could also matter how the motor mount was welded

The correct way to do this
Install motor with covers off/removed
Then machine as needed to install covers while motor is in chassis

My car needed some on both sides
Every car is different